Running board construction for freight cars



March 1, 1932.A CAD BGNSALL RUNNING BOARD cows'vmfcfw Por.

Filed Oct. 3l. 1930 Patented Mar. l, 1932A4 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE CHARLES DAVID BONSALL F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 P. H. MURPHY COMPANY, `NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPOBATICN OF PENNSYLVANIA RUNNING nom CONSTRUCTION Foa imren'r om Application led October 31, 1930. Serial No. 492,419.

This invention relates to running board constructions for freight car roofs, and is an improvement on the invention set forth in my copending application Serial N o. 467,260,

5 filed July l1, 1930, wherein the ruiming board is made in sections comprising boards of proper length to enter the space between adjacent roof sheets. i.The invention has for its principal objects to preserve` the advantages of the above type of runningboard and at the same time increase the strength and rigidity thereof. Other objects are simplicity and cheapness of construction and ease of applica- The invention consists inga running board made in sections, each section comprising side members of proper length fitting the space between adjacent roof ribs, and cross-members spanning the space betweensaid side members with their ends supportedv thereon. The invention also consists in forming the side members of each section with channels adapted to slidably receive the cross-members; it also consists in the means for securing the ends of the side members'to the adjacent seams; and it yalso consists in the parts and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. l is a plan View of a portion of a car roof provided with a running board construction embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse section through the roof on the line 2-2 in Fig. 3 is anenlarged vertical cross-section 4 through one of the seams, showing the end portions of the running board sections 1ocated on opposite sides of said seam; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the running board on the line 4-4 in eferring to the accompanying drawings, my invention is shown in connectionwith freight car provided with a metal roof of the all-steel, riveted-up, single-course type. Said roof comprises self-supporting roof sheets A, which span the car from side plate B to side plate B and slope downwardly on opposite sides of the ridge. he side plates B shown in the drawings are of Z-shaped cross-section and are disposed with their webs horizontal and with their inner anges eX- tending upwardly. The roof sheets are provided with depending eaves flanges l that overlap and are rigidly secured by rivets 2 to the upst-anding inner flanges of the side plates. The roof sheets are. provided along their adjacent side rmargins with upstandinggse'am flanges 3 and have their body portions offset upwardly adjacent to said flanges to form raised panels 4 along the side marginal portions of said sheets. Metal seam caps 5 of substantially inverted U-shaped cross-section straddle adjacent side marginal seam fianges 3 of the roof sheets and are rigidly secured to said flanges by horizontal rivets 6, thus constituting stiiening ribs or outside carlines for the roof. The seam vcaps 5 exten'd from eaves to eaves of the car and are provided with outstanding base flanges 7 that rest on the raised side marginal panels 4 of the roof sheets and are turned down at thev eaves over' the depending eaves flanges 1 of said sheets. As shown in the drawings, the seam caps 5 are of greater depth at the ridge than at the caves and their base flanges 7 are wider at the eaves than at the ridge.

y A running board extends longitudinally ot the car at the ridge and is made in sections C of proper length to enter the spaces between the upstanding seams or ribs formed by the seam caps 5, said sections being preferably disposed with their upper surfaces disposed substantially at the level of the highest points of said seam caps. Each section Cof the lrunning board comprises two side rails or beams 8, preferably of met-al, that are spaced apart equal distances on opposite sides of the ridge and extend longitudinally of the car between the seam caps. The metal side mem bers or beams 8 are of channel-shaped crosssection and are arranged with their ,channels 9 facing inwardly towards each other. Boards or planks 10 span the space between the two side beams/8, with their ends fitting within channels 9 therein. The lower flanges lboards or planks 10. The ends of the side beams 8 of each section are secured to the roof preferably by means of angle brackets 11 that have one Hange riveted to the side of the seam caps. The other flange of each bracket projects outwardly from the seam cap and forms a support for the adjacent end of the side member or beam 8, which is removably secured thereto by bolts l2.

The hereinbefore described running board construction has numerous advantages. The sections of the running board are located between the upstanding roof ribs instead of extending across the tops thereof, thereby decreasing the overall height of the car. The metal side beams of each section greatly increase the load carrying capacity thcreoi and also act as struts for maintaining a proper spacing of the roof ribs and for preventing said ribs from tilting or twisting. The chan nels in the side beams serve to hold the crossboards in place Without the use of separate fastening members; and they also prevent the ends of said boards from curling. The sections are bolted to the supporting brackets and are thus adapted to be quickly and easily attached to and removed from the roof. Access may be had to the cross-boards of each section by detachinfr one of the side beams from its supportinglbrackets.

The invention is not restricted to the precise arrangement of parts shown and described.

t W'hat I claim is:

1. In a freight car having a roof provided with upstanding ribs that extend transversely of the ear, a sectional longitudinal running board for said roof, each running board section comprising side members of proper length to enter the space between adjacent roof'ribs, cross-members extending from side member to side member of said section, and means for securing the ends of said side members to said ribs, said members comprising brackets secured solely to the ends of said side members and said ribs.

Q. In a freight car having a roof provided with upstanding ribs that extend transversely of the car, a sectional longitudinal running board for said roof, each running board section comprising side members of channelshaped cross-section and of proper length to enter the space between adjacent roof ribs, wooden cross-members extending from side member to side member of said section, and a separate bracket secured to each end of each side member and to the r-ib adjacent thereto.

3. A metal car roof having upstanding ribs that extend transversely of the car, and a running board extending longitudinally of said roof, said ruiming board comprising'sections located between adjacent upstanding ribs and extending below the tops thereof, each running board section comprising side members extending longitudinally of the roof on opposite sides of the ridge, cross members extending from side member to side member and me'ans for removably securing the ends of said side members to adjacent ribs, said means comprising separate brackets secured to the corresponding ends of said side members and tothe side of the rib adjacent thereto.

Signed at New Kensington, Pennsylvania, this 27th day of October, 1930.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL.

las 

